The Tin Drum Short Essay - Answer Key

1. As the story begins, the reader immediately learns that the narrator is in a mental hospital. How does Oskar wish to change his room and are his changes something that would be expected?

Oskar states that he wished the bars of his cell were higher so that others could not get in. This does not seems to be a normal response as one would think that he would not wanted to be caged in. It appears that Oskar finds comfort and security in his cell at the mental hospital and is possibly afraid of the outside world.

2. Oskar spends a lot of time talking about his family history. One significant member of his family is Jan Bronski. How is Jan related to Oskar's mother and how does Oskar describe this character?

Jan is a cousin of Oskar's mother, thus making him a second cousin to Oskar. Jan and Oskar's mother engage in an affair throughout Oskar's childhood. Oskar states that as a child, Jan was sickly and always crying.